2025 NFL Season: 5 Most Overrated Players Exposed and 5 Criminally Undervalued Gems You Can’t Ignore
Now past the halfway point of the 2025 NFL season, it’s time to dive into the numbers and see which so-called “stars” have been anything but, and which blossoming hidden gems need more love.
Let’s dive into the NFL’s five most overrated players this season, and the five most underrated who need more respect.
Who are the most overrated and underrated stars in the NFL today?
Overrated: Trevor Lawrence
So, like, are we all ready to agree and accept that T-Law just isn’t that good now as an NFL star? Or are some of us still making excuses for him?
Lawrence is now on his fourth head coach. From Travis Etienne Jr. to Evan Engram to Brian Thomas Jr. to Travis Hunter to Calvin Ridley to Christian Kirk, the Jaguars have poured a ridiculous amount of resources into giving him the best supporting cast possible.
And yet, here’s Trevor Lawrence having another lackluster statistical season. Yes, the Jaguars have exceeded expectations and are a dark horse to make the playoffs, but it’s thanks to their defense and ground game. There’s no telling how much better they could be with a more productive quarterback. Plus, the team is reportedly moving temporarily next season.
Lawrence still hasn’t hit the 4,200-yard or 30-TD mark in a single season, and he’s on pace to fall well below those marks once again this year. In fact, he might not even finish in the top-20 for passing yards or TDs this year.
We know he’s a former first-overall pick who carried the “generational” label before turning pro, but at some point, you gotta ask yourself, is this just who he is? Once again, T-Law is not playing like a $275 million quarterback.
One day, the rest of the Jaguars’ fanbase and organization will catch on.
Underrated: Rico Dowdle
While everyone is understandably gushing over Jonathan Taylor’s MVP-caliber season, Dowdle is quietly having himself a special year on a middling Carolina Panthers team.
When Dowdle rushed for 1,079 yards with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, many just chalked that up to the luxury of playing behind their stacked offensive line. This unit churned out other stud running backs in DeMarco Murray, Ezekiel Elliott, and Tony Pollard, after all. Heck, Javonte Williams is having a career year in Big D as well.
Thus, not much was made when the Panthers signed Dowdle to a one-year deal worth $2.75 million in free agency. Plus, he was supposed to be the backup to Chuba Hubbard, who signed a four-year extension last year.
Yet here is Mr. Dowdle having a lights-out season in Carolina in a year where Hubbard has been hampered by injuries. Taylor looks poised to run away with the rushing title, but Dowdle is on pace to finish with over 1,300 yards. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to be a backup RB this year and was not deemed an NFL star! Did we mention this is his contract year, too?
Overrated: A.J. Brown
If anyone knows what has happened to elite AJ Brown, please let us know. Guys of his caliber and skill set aren’t supposed to decline at the age of 28, after all.
Despite missing four games last year, Brown caught 67 passes for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns and helped the Eagles to a Super Bowl 59 championship.
Everyone knew that Saquon Barkley wouldn’t rush for 2,000 yards again this year, so Nick Sirianni was naturally going to depend more on Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Hurts to lift the passing game.
Instead, Brown has inexplicably turned in the worst season of his career. It’s been such a letdown that there have been multiple reports about a fractured Eagles locker room. His name even popped up aplenty in trade rumors, but the Eagles never appeared serious about trading him.
Brown is in danger of setting new career lows and finishing below 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2013, when he had 869 in 13 games. In fact, Brown might not even finish in the top-40 in receiving this year, just to give you an idea of how bad he’s been this year.
So yeah, let’s not let Brown’s past success overshadow his performance this season. This guy is the ultimate definition of “overrated right now.”
Underrated: Nick Herbig
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has been one of football’s most disappointing units this year. The additions of Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and the since-released Juan Thornhill did nothing to bolster the secondary, and T.J. Watt isn’t exactly taking over games like we’ve seen in the past.
But lost in a disappointing year for the Steelers is the unexpected emergence of Nick Herbig, who’s quietly been the MVP and star of this NFL team’s defense.
Herbig needed just eight games to match his career-high of 5.5 sacks from a year ago. In addition to a Pro Football Focus grade of over 90, he was ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate among edge defenders through 10 weeks.
Watt and Cameron Heyward aren’t getting any younger, but the future of the Pittsburgh defense has arrived. Herbig, a long-overlooked 2023 fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, and Alex Highsmith will keep the Steelers’ D in good hands for years to come.
Overrated: Trevon Diggs
When you play for a big-market team and media darling like the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Yankees, or Toronto Maple Leafs, you’re bound to get more love and credit than necessary.
Take the case of Cowboys “All-Pro” cornerback Trevon Diggs. And we say “All-Pro” in air quotation marks.
Diggs had a lights-out sophomore season in 2021, recording a league-leading 11 interceptions — including two pick-sixes — and 21 pass breakups en route to First-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods.
After earning a second straight Pro Bowl nod in 2022, Diggs was awarded a five-year contract extension worth $97 million. Jerry Jones is never one to admit his mistake, but boy, that deal has aged as poorly as milk.
The thing about Diggs is, he’s never been a great cover corner. He’s an all-or-nothing guy who racks up the INT and pass breakup totals because of his overly aggressive style. Like, yeah, good on an MLB player who hits 40 homers in a season. But if he’s batting .210 and striking out 170 times, is he really that valuable?
Diggs has allowed at least three touchdowns in coverage each season, except for the 2023 campaign, when he only played two games, per Pro Football Reference. He’s allowed over 14 yards per reception when targeted and surrendered more than 600 yards in coverage each year from 2020 to 2022.
Staying healthy is also a problem for Diggs, who was limited to 13 games over the 2023 and 2024 seasons. A concussion also landed him on the injured reserve earlier this season.
The bottom line is that people still view Diggs as a star due to his outstanding 2022 NFL season. At some point, you gotta realize this isn’t the same player. Just because he’s on the Cowboys, it doesn’t mean he’s extra special.
Underrated: Nik Bonitto
The Denver Broncos have so many big names on defense — namely, 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain, 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron, and All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga — that it’s easy to overlook guys like Bonitto.
But believe us, this guy’s the real deal and just as valuable to the Broncos’ success as any other player.
A second-round pick of the Broncos in 2022, Bonitto logged eight sacks in a limited rotational role as a sophomore in 2023. In 2024, he racked up 13.5 sacks to go along with four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Only Trey Hendrickson and Myles Garrett had more sacks.
Bonitto has taken his game to an even higher level in 2025 and is in the running for the NFL sacks crown. His efforts have Denver on the inside track for its first AFC West division title in 10 years, too.
Bonitto has to share the slice of the sacks pie with Jonathan Cooper and Zach Allen, too, whereas guys like Hendrickson, Garrett, Will Anderson Jr., Nick Bosa, and Aidan Hutchinson get to hog the stats on their inferior defensive units.
When your team plays the Broncos next, pay close attention to No. 15. Then you’ll join us in putting more respect on his name.
Overrated: Jerry Jeudy
Jeudy has had a truly bizarre career up to this point. What more can we say?
Jeudy had two good seasons with the Denver Broncos, but he could never reach his full potential due to subpar play from the quarterbacks. A 2024 trade to the Cleveland Browns did wonders for Jeudy, who set career highs with 90 receptions and 1,229 yards.
So, how has Jeudy followed up on the long-awaited breakout season? OH…by having the worst season of his career.
The Browns’ 2025 QB room is even better than their 2024 QB room, so how has Jeudy regressed so poorly, to the point he’s averaging nearly 40 fewer receiving yards a game? It’s a great mystery.
It also makes him one of the NFL’s most frustrating players and stars. He just can’t put it together consistently. At all.
Underrated: Jack Campbell
The Detroit Lions’ star-studded offense and edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson get most of the love among NFL fans. That’s just how it is. How do you pay attention to the defense anyway when Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Penei Sewell, and Taylor Decker headline your offense?
It’s laughable to think about now, but most people hated the Lions’ pair of 2023 first-round picks, Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell. Joke’s on them!!!
Campbell has quietly emerged as a superstar in year three, already recording a career-high in sacks and forced fumbles. His PFF run defense grade is north of 90, and he was their only linebacker who ranked in the top-15 for run D, coverage, and pass-rush through ten weeks.
Detroit’s secondary still has its warts, but Hutchinson and Campbell are able to bail them out with their weekly dominance in the trenches. Campbell’s jump to the elite has truly made a difference for Dan Campbell’s squad this year. You just haven’t noticed.
Overrated: Jordan Love
Sorry, Green Bay Packers fans, but the proof is in the pudding.
Love had a breakout year in 2023 with a 64.2 completion percentage for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He missed two games in 2024, but Love still averaged nearly 20 fewer passing yards a game and struggled mightily against elite opponents, leading to an ugly Wild Card Round loss to the Eagles.
Love is getting a lot of, well, love, this season. But most of the Packers’ success in 2025 should be due to their elite defense — looking at you, Micah Parsons! — and superstar running back Josh Jacobs.
You know how the Packers went 5-3-1 over their first nine games? They scored 10 points in their first loss to Cleveland, 13 in their second loss to Carolina, and seven in their third loss to Philadelphia. Yuck.
Love’s struggles with accuracy and decision-making were the common denominators in each loss, a clear-cut indicator that he can’t exactly be relied upon when the ball is in his hands. When Jacobs and the defense are on, though, Love looks better than he is.
We know losing star tight end Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed long-term for the season were brutal blows, but it’s not like Jacobs, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Matthew Golden are slouches. A QB’s job is to elevate his teammates, not regress when two of them go down.
If Love and the Packers go one-and-done in the playoffs, might it be time to ask if he’s really the guy long-term or an NFL star? I mean, we’re still waiting for the 2023 version of Love to return.
Underrated: Sam Darnold
There were many skeptics and critics about the Seattle Seahawks’ decision to trade Geno Smith and replace him with Sam Darnold. After a career year with the Minnesota Vikings, Darnold signed a three-year deal with Seattle worth $100.5 million.
Naturally, it was easy to assume Darnold would regress after leaving Minnesota. After all, they have reigning Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell and a ridiculous supporting cast of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, and Aaron Jones.
But somehow, Darnold has taken his game to another level in Seattle. And somehow, people are overlooking his performance.
Jaxson Smith-Njigba is having a career year in Seattle. Kenneth Walker is on pace to hit 1,000 rushing yards for the first time since his 2022 rookie year. And, oh yes, it helps to have a top-five defense.
But folks, Seattle never looked this good with Geno Smith. And they never looked this dangerous over Russell Wilson’s final five years in Emerald City, either.
Darnold has smashed last year’s career-high 102.5 passer rating and was named to the Pro Football Focus midseason All-Pro team, sitting at or near the top in their passing grade and “big time throw” metrics.
Incredibly, the $100.5 million deal already feels like a massive underpayment for Darnold and a mega-bargain for Seattle.
2025 NFL Season: 5 Most Overrated Players Exposed and 5 Criminally Undervalued Gems You Can’t Ignore
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